Walden

by Amy Berryman

FULL LENGTH: After returning from a year-long Moon mission, Cassie, a NASA botanist, finds herself in a remote cabin in the woods, where her estranged twin sister, Stella, a former NASA architect, has found a new life with climate activist Bryan. Old wounds resurface as the sisters attempt to pick up the pieces of the rivalry that broke them apart.

FULL LENGTH: After returning from a year-long Moon mission, Cassie, a NASA botanist, finds herself in a remote cabin in the woods, where her estranged twin sister, Stella, a former NASA architect, has found a new life with climate activist Bryan. Old wounds resurface as the sisters attempt to pick up the pieces of the rivalry that broke them apart.

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Walden

Recommended by

  • Mak Shealy: Walden by Amy Berryman
    “

    Berryman's writing is sharp, filled with unexpected twists and turns and each character's humanity shimmers throughout the play. With every nuanced complication and conflict that arises, we're asked to journey deeper into questions of purpose, hope and futility. This is one of the most spectacular sci-fi plays I've read and I can't wait to see it produced and adapted!

    Berryman's writing is sharp, filled with unexpected twists and turns and each character's humanity shimmers throughout the play. With every nuanced complication and conflict that arises, we're asked to journey deeper into questions of purpose, hope and futility. This is one of the most spectacular sci-fi plays I've read and I can't wait to see it produced and adapted!

    ”
  • Charles Jackson: Walden by Amy Berryman
    “

    A friend recommended Walden to me, and I am so grateful they did. A beautiful sci-fi play that explores sisterhood and our dying world. I would love to see this show at a professional theatre. I highly recommend giving it a read!

    A friend recommended Walden to me, and I am so grateful they did. A beautiful sci-fi play that explores sisterhood and our dying world. I would love to see this show at a professional theatre. I highly recommend giving it a read!

    ”
  • Matthew Ivan Bennett: Walden by Amy Berryman
    “

    Easily one of my favorite for-the-stage sci-fi/cli-fi pieces of the past few years.

    Easily one of my favorite for-the-stage sci-fi/cli-fi pieces of the past few years.

    ”
View all 20 recommendations

Character Information

ON CASTING:
Cassie and Stella should look like sisters and be of similar builds, but they need not look
like identical twins. They look different, have different blood types, and have therefore
always assumed themselves fraternal.
  • Bryan
    Stella’s fiancée – a member of the populist political movement
    Earth Advocates, laid back, kind, emotionally open, strong, still grieving the loss of his
    brother, struggling with the wall Stella has built around herself.
    mid-thirties
    Any
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Stella
    former NASA colony architect, her mouth moves quickly to catch up with her even faster brain, guarded, still deeply heartbroken she will never go to space, is harboring secrets and resentment as she struggles to welcome her sister into her new life.
    mid-thirties
    Any
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Cassie
    Stella’s twin sister – NASA botanist, physically strong, seems
    put together in the midst of all her success, but inside is doubtful and falling apart.
    Looking for a way to blow up her life, as well as looking for a way to get closer to her
    sister.
    mid-thirties
    Any
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female

Development History

  • Workshop, UMASS, 2020
  • Reading, Austin Scottish Rite Theater, 2019
  • Reading, Premiere Play Festival at Premiere Stages, 2019
  • Workshop, Premiere Stages at Kean University, 2019
  • Reading, Great Plains Theatre Conference, 2019
  • Reading, Bay Street Theatre Festival, 2019
  • Reading, Last Frontier Theatre Conference, Alaska, 2018

Production History

  • Professional, Sonia Friedman Productions, Harold Pinter Theatre, West End, 2021
  • Professional, Theaterworks Hartford, 2021

Awards

  • Parity Commission
    Honorable Mention
    2019
  • Premiere Play Festival
    Premiere Stages at Kean University
    Runner Up
    2019
  • Henley Rose Playwright Competition for Women
    Yellow Rose Productions
    Finalist
    2019